The Circumstances of Jesus’ Birth

Matthew 1:18-25

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.” (Matthew 1:18)

As a man writing primarily from his personal experience, Matthew starts with just the simple statement that before she and Joseph had ever been sexually involved, Mary became pregnant with Jesus through the action of the Holy Spirit.   Luke, on the other hand, wrote what he learned from interviewing the different people involved.  He describes Mary’s experience. 

“And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.

And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.

And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.

And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.  And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS.  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” (Luke 1:26-35)

Had it not been for Luke’s different approach to the story, we would not know about the miraculous birth of John the Baptist or the details of Christ’s conception, although both emphasize the critical aspect of the virgin birth.

“Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily.” (Matthew 1:19)

 In Deuteronomy 22:13-21, the law commanded, “If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her, And give occasions of speech against her, and bring up an evil name upon her, and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel's virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel's father shall say unto the elders, I gave my daughter unto this man to wife, and he hateth her; And, lo, he hath given occasions of speech against her, saying, I found not thy daughter a maid; and yet these are the tokens of my daughter's virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city.

And the elders of that city shall take that man and chastise him; And they shall amerce him in an hundred shekels of silver, and give them unto the father of the damsel, because he hath brought up an evil name upon a virgin of Israel: and she shall be his wife; he may not put her away all his days.

But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father's house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die: because she hath wrought folly in Israel, to play the whore in her father's house: so shalt thou put evil away from among you.”

Claims of sexual promiscuity were serious charges under the law.  That Mary was pregnant left little question that under the law, Joseph had every grounds for having her executed.   Because he cared for her, and didn’t want to punish her unduly for something that was not solely her fault, Joseph preferred not to exercise his right. Instead just privately breaking off their engagement.

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:20-25)

While Joseph was still considering what to do, the Angel appeared unto him telling him not to worry, that Mary had not been sexually promiscuous and that it was the fulfilling of the prophecy of Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”  Assured of Mary’s fidelity, Joseph took Mary as his wife, adopting Jesus as his son and protecting them from any claims of illegitimacy.  Clearly, Joseph was not only a just man bout a man of great faith.

Because of Joseph’s action in adopting Jesus as his son, his right to the throne of David would nt be questioned. 

Luke 2 provides the details of Jesus birth in Bethlehem, fulfilling The prophecy of Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”   Luke also details announcement of his birth by the angels, the visit by the shepherds, and the adoration of Anna and Simeon, as well as his circumcision when eight days old, as the law prescribed.  Luke learned these things by interviewing those who were there.

Matthew’s Genealogy Of Christ

Matthew 1:1-16

Matthew and John were Jesus’ apostles, while Mark and Luke were not.  As a result each one provides a different perspective into Christ’s ministry.  Matthew writes from firsthand experience as he remembers the various events as a traditional Jewish man.  John focuses more on Jesus’ teachings than on the events themselves.   Mark writes from the perspective of a young boy trying to understand what was going on, while Luke writes as an outsider, a Greek, trying to get all the information to share with others.

In Navajo culture, family ties are very important so almost meeting includes a time of making family connections clear.  Family had a similar importance in Jewish culture, so Matthew starts out with a listing of the genealogy of Christ.  While it may seem a little tedious to read, it is critical in establishing Jesus’ credentials to be the Messiah.  Messiah had to be a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Judah, and qualified as an heir to the throne of David.

 Matthew’s record establishes those qualifications, listing the genealogy of Joseph, the person the Jews would most consider, supposing him to be the father.  Luke, as a Greek, was more concerned with his actual genetic heritage and lists the genealogy of Mary, his actual mother, and thus the genealogies differ.   

“The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.

Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren; And Judas begat Phares and Zara of Thamar; and Phares begat Esrom; and Esrom begat Aram; And Aram begat Aminadab; and Aminadab begat Naasson; and Naasson begat Salmon; And Salmon begat Booz of Rachab; and Booz begat Obed of Ruth; and Obed begat Jesse; And Jesse begat David the king; and David the king begat Solomon of her that had been the wife of Urias; And Solomon begat Roboam; and Roboam begat Abia; and Abia begat Asa; And Asa begat Josaphat; and Josaphat begat Joram; and Joram begat Ozias; And Ozias begat Joatham; and Joatham begat Achaz; and Achaz begat Ezekias; And Ezekias begat Manasses; and Manasses begat Amon; and Amon begat Josias; And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon: And after they were brought to Babylon, Jechonias begat Salathiel; and Salathiel begat Zorobabel; And Zorobabel begat Abiud; and Abiud begat Eliakim; and Eliakim begat Azor; And Azor begat Sadoc; and Sadoc begat Achim; and Achim begat Eliud; And Eliud begat Eleazar; and Eleazar begat Matthan; and Matthan begat Jacob; And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.” (Matthew 1:1-15)

Joseph’s family was the royal line that had ruled Judah from the time of David until Israel went into captivity in 605 BC.  Besides the list of kings, Tamar, Judah’s daughter in law, Rahab, the Harlot from Jericho and Ruth the Moabite girl are especially significant, as well as Zerubabbel, the first governor after Judah was allowed to return to the land of Israel after the captivity in Babylon.

Mary was a descendent of David’s son Nathan, rather than of Solomon, and the genealogy in Luke follows her family, referring to Joseph in Luke 3:23 as the supposed father of Jesus, and the son in law(son) of Heli.

“So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.” (Matthew 1:17)

While there were fourteen generations of the family in each of the listed time periods, there was considerable difference in the length of the periods.  The time from Abraham to David was over a thousand years while the time from David to the Babylonian captivity was only a little over five hundred years, as was the time from Babylonian captivity until the birth of Christ.

Conclusion Of The Law

Leviticus 27:26-34

“Only the firstling of the beasts, which should be the LORD'S firstling, no man shall sanctify it; whether it be ox, or sheep: it is the LORD'S.

And if it be of an unclean beast, then he shall redeem it according to thine estimation, and shall add a fifth part of it thereto: or if it be not redeemed, then it shall be sold according to thy estimation.” (Leviticus 27:26-27)

The first born male of any animal automatically belonged to God.  It wasn’t theirs to use.  They could not use it even for other sacrifices.  Clean animals had to be sacrificed, while unclean animals were to be redeemed or killed.  Once again they were to pay twenty percent more than the assessed value of the animal.  The other choice was to sell it and donate the proceeds of the sale to God.  

“Notwithstanding no devoted thing, that a man shall devote unto the LORD of all that he hath, both of man and beast, and of the field of his possession, shall be sold or redeemed: every devoted thing is most holy unto the LORD.  None devoted, which shall be devoted of men, shall be redeemed; but shall surely be put to death.” (Leviticus 27:28-29)

Nothing that belonged to God could be redeemed, whether man or beast or real property, nor could it be sold.  It was holy and was not to be used for worldly purposes.  Things given as part of a vow were different in that they were given as temporary gift rather than as his actual property.

  

“And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD'S: it is holy unto the LORD.  And if a man will at all redeem ought of his tithes, he shall add thereto the fifth part thereof.” (Leviticus 27:30-31)

One tenth of everything a person gained belonged to God as his right for causing it to grow.  If a person wished to exchange it for something else, he was to add an extra twenty percent to it.

“And concerning the tithe of the herd, or of the flock, even of whatsoever passeth under the rod, the tenth shall be holy unto the LORD.  He shall not search whether it be good or bad, neither shall he change it: and if he change it at all, then both it and the change thereof shall be holy; it shall not be redeemed.” (Leviticus 27:32-33)

 The tenth animal belonged to God, whether good or bad. They were not to reject one as not good enough, nor were they to try to save the best for themselves.  If they chose to change it, both the designated one and the replacement were to be given.  Because it already belonged to God, it could not be redeemed.

“These are the commandments, which the LORD commanded Moses for the children of Israel in mount Sinai.” (Leviticus 27:34)

These were the laws Israel was to keep as their part of the covenant or contract with God.  In Matthew 5:17-20, Jesus made it very clear that these standards still apply in our day.  “Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil.  For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.  Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.  For I say unto you, That except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

Romans 4:18-25 compares our salvation with that of Abraham,  “Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, So shall thy seed be.  And being not weak in faith, he considered not his own body now dead, when he was about an hundred years old, neither yet the deadness of Sarah's womb:  He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.  And therefore it was imputed to him for righteousness.

Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead;  Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”

Because he was delivered for our offences, Romans 10:4 tells us, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.”  Although the standard of the law is still in force, Romans 8:1-4 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.  For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus responded to a question about the law.  “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”  The law shows how to demonstrate our love for God and for other people, and as Jesus said in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”  It doesn’t give access to heaven.  That comes only through faith in Christ.

Pledges To God

Leviticus 27:1-25

“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When a man shall make a singular vow, the persons shall be for the LORD by thy estimation.  And thy estimation shall be of the male from twenty years old even unto sixty years old, even thy estimation shall be fifty shekels of silver, after the shekel of the sanctuary.  And if it be a female, then thy estimation shall be thirty shekels.

And if it be from five years old even unto twenty years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male twenty shekels, and for the female ten shekels.  And if it be from a month old even unto five years old, then thy estimation shall be of the male five shekels of silver, and for the female thy estimation shall be three shekels of silver.  And if it be from sixty years old and above; if it be a male, then thy estimation shall be fifteen shekels, and for the female ten shekels.

But if he be poorer than thy estimation, then he shall present himself before the priest, and the priest shall value him; according to his ability that vowed shall the priest value him.” (Leviticus 27:1-8)

If a person made a special vow dedicating someone to God, whether it was to be a servant or one of his children, it was to be assigned a cash value according to the abilities and skills of the person.  The value had nothing to do with the person’s social or economic standing.  The king’s son was of the same value as that of a beggar.  This established a value for redemption.  Special allowance was made for a person who wanted to give more but couldn’t afford to pay the redemption fee.

“And if it be a beast, whereof men bring an offering unto the LORD, all that any man giveth of such unto the LORD shall be holy.  He shall not alter it, nor change it, a good for a bad, or a bad for a good: and if he shall at all change beast for beast, then it and the exchange thereof shall be holy.

And if it be any unclean beast, of which they do not offer a sacrifice unto the LORD, then he shall present the beast before the priest: And the priest shall value it, whether it be good or bad: as thou valuest it, who art the priest, so shall it be.  But if he will at all redeem it, then he shall add a fifth part thereof unto thy estimation. ” (Leviticus 27:9-13)

Many times the pledge or vow was made before the animals birth or while it was still a baby.  When it grew up it might be turn out to be either better or worse than originally expected.  In either case a person might wish to exchange it for a different animal.  If the animal was an animal that could be used for sacrifices, then it was to sacrificed, and if the giver felt it wasn’t enough he could give an additional animal.

If it was a non-sacrificial animal, the priest was to set a value for it and if the person wished to keep it, they could buy it back for twenty percent premium, or allow the priests to sell it for whatever they could.

“And when a man shall sanctify his house to be holy unto the LORD, then the priest shall estimate it, whether it be good or bad: as the priest shall estimate it, so shall it stand.  And if he that sanctified it will redeem his house, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be his.” (Leviticus 27:14-15)

A person could donate their house, and the priest would place a value on it.  If the person wished to buy the house back he could give twenty percent over the valuation or the priests could sell the house for more.

“And if a man shall sanctify unto the LORD some part of a field of his possession, then thy estimation shall be according to the seed thereof: an homer of barley seed shall be valued at fifty shekels of silver.

If he sanctify his field from the year of jubilee, according to thy estimation it shall stand.  But if he sanctify his field after the jubilee, then the priest shall reckon unto him the money according to the years that remain, even unto the year of the jubilee, and it shall be abated from thy estimation.  And if he that sanctified the field will in any wise redeem it, then he shall add the fifth part of the money of thy estimation unto it, and it shall be assured to him.

And if he will not redeem the field, or if he have sold the field to another man, it shall not be redeemed any more.  But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the LORD, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's.” (Leviticus 27:16-21)

The value of field that was dedicated to the lord was to be based on the number of years until the year of Jubilee and the amount of seed required to plant the land.  He could reclaim the land by paying off the remaining time and a twenty percent fee at any time unless he had leased it out to someone else.  If the land had not been reclaimed, or if it had been leased out during the period, then it became property of the priests in the year of Jubilee.

“And if a man sanctify unto the LORD a field which he hath bought, which is not of the fields of his possession; Then the priest shall reckon unto him the worth of thy estimation, even unto the year of the jubilee: and he shall give thine estimation in that day, as a holy thing unto the LORD.  In the year of the jubilee the field shall return unto him of whom it was bought, even to him to whom the possession of the land did belong.” (Leviticus 27:22-24)

If a person donated a field that he had bought from someone else, he was to be credited with donating until the year of Jubilee, but land automatically returned to the owner’s family in the year of Jubilee.

“And all thy estimations shall be according to the shekel of the sanctuary: twenty gerahs shall be the shekel.” (Leviticus 27:25)

Throughout history, governments have tried to inflate the value of money by changing the weight or the precious metal content.   The same standard was to apply in all Israel’s dealings with God.  

Confession Of Sin

Leviticus 26:40-46

“If they shall confess their iniquity, and the iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass which they trespassed against me, and that also they have walked contrary unto me; And that I also have walked contrary unto them, and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abraham will I remember; and I will remember the land.” (Leviticus 26:40-42)

God promised Israel that if they would admit to being wrong, that it was not just a simple mistake but an ongoing pattern from generation to generation, and that it was the result of deliberate choices to ignore God’s plan, and acknowledge that it was God who had caused them to find themselves in such straits, recognizing they deserved such punishment, then God would forgive them and keep the promises he had made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Human beings do not like to admit they are wrong.  It goes against our very nature, and many people see it as a sign of weakness.  As a result, in our day, people are taught that success requires you never admit to being wrong.  Unfortunately, such an approach encourages denial of responsibility for problem, so they don’t get dealt with.  Instead, we take the approach of the two kids who were playing with matches in their bed, seeing how much light they made.  When the bed caught fire, they tried pouring cups of water on it, but when the fire kept spreading, they pushed the mattress and blankets out the window where it landed on the picnic table, which also caught on fire. 

A neighbor saw the smoke coming from the bedroom window and called the fire department.  The firemen insisted on being sure there was no fire in the house before they worried about the burning picnic table so it was destroyed.  The girl insisted it was not their fault the table burned because the firemen wouldn’t listen to her, completely ignoring the fact that there would have been no fire if they had not played with matches.  Far too often we try to shift the blame to someone else.

“The land also shall be left of them, and shall enjoy her sabbaths, while she lieth desolate without them: and they shall accept of the punishment of their iniquity: because, even because they despised my judgments, and because their soul abhorred my statutes.” (Leviticus 26:43)

If a person caused an accident that resulted in another person being killed, saying you are sorry and asking forgiveness does not remove the consequences of the actions.  The person would still be dead, even if his family forgives you completely.  In the same way, God said that even though he forgave Israel for their sin, the consequences would remain.  They were to accept those consequences as the result of their not honoring God by refusing to obey.  They would still have to serve their sentence.  This goes directly contrary to what many today teach.

“And yet for all that, when they be in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to break my covenant with them: for I am the LORD their God.  But I will for their sakes remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought forth out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the heathen, that I might be their God: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 26:44-45)

While they were serving their sentence, God would not forget his promise to them, but would protect them from harm or break his promise to them.  He would keep in mind his covenant and remember how much he had invested in them.  Ultimately, he would fulfill those promises.  

The Nation of Israel had rebelled so completely that they were taken into captivity under Nebuchadnezzar and had to serve out the entire seventy years God had prophesied, yet he forgave the ones who acknowledged the captivity came from God, and restored them at the end of the time, blessing them richly.  Those who refused to acknowledge that it was God who was taking them into captivity were later killed.

“These are the statutes and judgments and laws, which the LORD made between him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses.” (Leviticus 26:46)

These are the overriding principles or laws which Israel was to operate by, the Ten Commandments.  Various statutes or rules as to how to keep them were given, as well as the penalties or judgments for violating them.  They are the terms of the contract or covenant God made with Israel.

The same concept of accepting responsibility for our sin and accepting God’s judgment for it is critical to our salvation and ongoing forgiveness in the New Testament.  I John 1:8-10.  ”If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.”

If we refuse to admit that we have done wrong or acknowledge that the consequences are from God, we are effectively calling God a liar, and clearly, we do not have Christ in our hearts.  On the other hand, if we will acknowledge our sin and God’s right to punish us, he will forgive us and cleanse us, placing the Holy spirit into our hearts, as John 14:15 promises.  “If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.”  

The Consequences Of Disobedience

Leviticus 26:14-39

 John 14:24 warns disobedience indicates a lack of love for God.  “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”  Deliberate disobedience indicates a disdain for him.  Here God warns of the consequences of such an attitude.

“But if ye will not hearken unto me, and will not do all these commandments; And if ye shall despise my statutes, or if your soul abhor my judgments, so that ye will not do all my commandments, but that ye break my covenant: I also will do this unto you; I will even appoint over you terror, consumption, and the burning ague, that shall consume the eyes, and cause sorrow of heart: and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for your enemies shall eat it.  And I will set my face against you, and ye shall be slain before your enemies: they that hate you shall reign over you; and ye shall flee when none pursueth you.” (Leviticus 26:14-17)

If they refused to obey his commands, considering them too demanding or unfair, God would send diseases among them like plagues.  He would also send enemies among them to rob them and fight them, giving the enemy victories.

“And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven times more for your sins.  And I will break the pride of your power; and I will make your heaven as iron, and your earth as brass: And your strength shall be spent in vain: for your land shall not yield her increase, neither shall the trees of the land yield their fruits.” (Leviticus 26:18-20)

If they still refused to obey, God would increase the pressure seven time, causing the heaven to be like iron, incapable of rain, and the earth to be as unyielding as brass, producing nothing despite their best efforts to farm it.  Neither crops nor orchards would produce anything. 

In his journal detailing his experiences as a missionary to the American Indians, David Brainerd repeatedly describes spending hours in prayer, concluding that the heavens were like brass and God did not answer.  Apparently he missed the point about it being because they would not obey.

“And if ye walk contrary unto me, and will not hearken unto me; I will bring seven times more plagues upon you according to your sins.  I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number; and your high ways shall be desolate.” (Leviticus 26:21-22)

Continued disobedience would lead to a sevenfold increase in the number of disease related to the sins they committed.  In addition they would experience depredations of their herds by wild animals, which would even attack their children.  It would reach a point where people were afraid to travel.

“And if ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me; Then will I also walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your sins.  And I will bring a sword upon you, that shall avenge the quarrel of my covenant: and when ye are gathered together within your cities, I will send the pestilence among you; and ye shall be delivered into the hand of the enemy.  And when I have broken the staff of your bread, ten women shall bake your bread in one oven, and they shall deliver you your bread again by weight: and ye shall eat, and not be satisfied.” (Leviticus 26:23-26)

If they still refused to listen, God would turn on them and increase their punishment seven times.  Their enemies would kill them for their refusal to accept god’s covenant.  Concentrations of people in cities or large gatherings would become an opportunity for the spread of disease among them, and God would not protect them.  Even when they produce something, it will not produce satisfactory results.  Ten women will not be able to bake enough bread to satisfy one person.

“And if ye will not for all this hearken unto me, but walk contrary unto me; Then I will walk contrary unto you also in fury; and I, even I, will chastise you seven times for your sins.  And ye shall eat the flesh of your sons, and the flesh of your daughters shall ye eat

And I will destroy your high places, and cut down your images, and cast your carcases upon the carcases of your idols, and my soul shall abhor you.  And I will make your cities waste, and bring your sanctuaries unto desolation, and I will not smell the savour of your sweet odours.  And I will bring the land into desolation: and your enemies which dwell therein shall be astonished at it.  And I will scatter you among the heathen, and will draw out a sword after you: and your land shall be desolate, and your cities waste.

Then shall the land enjoy her sabbaths, as long as it lieth desolate, and ye be in your enemies' land; even then shall the land rest, and enjoy her sabbaths.  As long as it lieth desolate it shall rest; because it did not rest in your sabbaths, when ye dwelt upon it.” (Leviticus 26:27-35)

If they still refused to listen, the famine would reach such proportions they would be forced into cannibalism to survive.  All their places of worship would be destroyed, and the churches destroyed.  People would flee the cities and God would ignore all their sacrifices and prayers.   God would give the land the years of rest they had refused to give it. 

   

“And upon them that are left alive of you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their enemies; and the sound of a shaken leaf shall chase them; and they shall flee, as fleeing from a sword; and they shall fall when none pursueth.  And they shall fall one upon another, as it were before a sword, when none pursueth: and ye shall have no power to stand before your enemies.” (Leviticus 26:36-37)

Fear and discontent will lead to civil war and fighting mong themselves even when no enemy is involved.   Thousands will die as a result of the infighting.

“And ye shall perish among the heathen, and the land of your enemies shall eat you up.   And they that are left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities of their fathers shall they pine away with them.” (Leviticus 26:38-39)

They will die as slaves in other lands, of over work and despair, suffering the consequences of their own and their ancestor’s sin and still practicing them.  The consequences of refusing to listen were quite severe. Unfortunately, Israel would see even the most extreme of those consequences as a result of their refusal to obey.

Reward For Loving God

Leviticus 26:1-13

“Ye shall make you no idols nor graven image, neither rear you up a standing image, neither shall ye set up any image of stone in your land, to bow down unto it: for I am the LORD your God. 

Ye shall keep my sabbaths, and reverence my sanctuary: I am the LORD.” (Leviticus 26:1-2)

In Matthew 22:36 one of the Pharisee’s lawyers asked, “Master, which is the great commandment in the law?"  Literally he was asking what is the most important of God’s commands.  “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment,” in Matthew 22:37-38.  While loving other people comes in a close second, love for God is the most important thing a person can do.

In John 14:21, Jesus said obedience to his commands was evidence of our love.  “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me…”  While many of the commands deal with our relationship to other people, these are specifically about our relationship to God.  Just as a man who truly loves his wife will not go out looking for somebody else, a person who loves God will not be messing around with other gods.  If a person loves their spouse, they will take time to spend with them, and will show respect toward them.  If a person loves God they will take time for him and show due respect toward him.

In Ephesians 5:28. Paul said, “…He that loveth his wife loveth himself.”  Demonstrating love for one’s spouse pays off  physically and emotionally.  Demonstrating their love for God would pay off handsomely in much the same way for Israel.


“If ye walk in my statutes, and keep my commandments, and do them; Then I will give you rain in due season, and the land shall yield her increase, and the trees of the field shall yield their fruit.  And your threshing shall reach unto the vintage, and the vintage shall reach unto the sowing time: and ye shall eat your bread to the full, and dwell in your land safely. 

And I will give peace in the land, and ye shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid: and I will rid evil beasts out of the land, neither shall the sword go through your land. 

And ye shall chase your enemies, and they shall fall before you by the sword.  And five of you shall chase an hundred, and an hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight: and your enemies shall fall before you by the sword.

For I will have respect unto you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, and establish my covenant with you.  And ye shall eat old store, and bring forth the old because of the new. ” (Leviticus 26:3-10)

If Israel would demonstrate their love by keeping God’s commands, he would bless them physically in many ways.  God would cause the weather to be consistent and cooperative, allowing them to always produce good crops.   He would also make their crops productive, so that they would never run short, even during the winter months, but would always have a surplus so that they had to dispose of part of it to have room for the new crop.  He would eliminate crime so they had no reason to fear, and would drive away dangerous animals so they were not a threat.  When they were attacked by other groups, God would give them the victory regardless how out numbered they might be.

“And I will set my tabernacle among you: and my soul shall not abhor you.  And I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall be my people. 

I am the LORD your God, which brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, that ye should not be their bondmen; and I have broken the bands of your yoke, and made you go upright.” (Leviticus 26:11-13)

Not only would they experience his physical blessings, they would experience a personal relationship with God.  He would live among them walking with them and guiding and assisting them in every situation.  They had assurance he could keep this promise as it was only a few weeks before that God had brought them out of Egypt and destroyed the Egyptian army, feeding them with manna and providing water from the rock.  Jesus made a similar promise to Christians in John 14:15-23.

“If ye love me, keep my commandments.  And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.  I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. 

Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.  At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.  He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 

Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 

Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.” (John 14:15-23) 

Just as it was with Israel, the promise depends on our loving God enough to obey him.  If we will, he promises to demonstrate his love to us by living in us, guiding and assisting us in our daily lives and letting us know his presence. The next couple of chapters explain more about those benefits.

John 14:24 is very clear however, when it warns, “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.”  A person who doesn’t bother to obey does not love either God or Christ.